"The Dark Side Of Creativity" - By William Lee Adams
From looking at the drawing he created I can already see the fear within the expression created on the face of the subject. The pose, the way the hands are held to the head shows shock almost, like he doesn't know what is happening and he is scared. The lines in the image create almost the movement of sound maybe as he said he heard a scream. It's like you can see the noise which is really effective to show his point of view. It helps you understand how he felt at that moment in time and gives you an insight to an effect of his mental disorder.
Vincent Van Gogh - Depression
Van Gogh is well known for his paintings. He suffered with mental disorders and eventually committed suicide in 1890. He was said to have had Bipolar (a severe form of Depression) and to have suffered from Psychotic episodes in which he ended up cutting his ear off.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh's_health
In his portrait paintings, I feel he is trying to portray the real him, I don't think he has tried to emphasise or remove any imperfections, he looks unhappy, has a serious facial expression, dark circles and uses quite washed out colouring. This gives me the impression that he wasn't happy and he doesn't come across as approachable because of the bad mood he appears to be in.
Going by the 'he doesn't look approachable' this is how a lot of illnesses can be misunderstood today. If someone looks unhappy/not smiling they immediately give the first impression of being unapproachable as they don't appear to be a 'nice character'. This is the stigmas that will hopefully cease to exist. People suffering may look serious and smile-less as they may be feeling really sad so they can't help it.
In his other paintings like the starry sky landscapes and the flowers, he has created beautiful paintings, dream-like landscapes, more beautiful that real life, or, he could have been emphasising how beautiful these scenes came across to him. He was capturing the beauty of the world even though he wasn't happy and was suffering. He could have used his art as an escape from the suffering as being creative is therapeutic.
Photography can kind of relate to the 'more beautiful than real life' as most imagery is manipulated or edited to make the subject/scape look better than it actually is as it makes the viewer have a more happy viewing experience.
http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/595/Still-Life:-Vase-with-Twelve-Sunflowers.html
Edgar Allen Poe
As well as photos and paintings, feelings can be shown in other creative ways like poems. Edgar Allen Poe suffered with Bipolar and drug/alcohol abuse.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2014000600466
One of his poems "Alone" - from this I understand that he had felt low for a long time as he says 'from childhood'. He comments 'of a most stormy life' which tells me he had a stressful life, perhaps because of his mental disorders. He says 'My sorrow, I could not awaken' which to me says that he couldn't get rid of the low mood he felt. As he goes on he describes different subjects like 'it's autumn tint of gold' which contrasts other lines as it is describing beauty as I associate gold with beautiful objects like jewelry. He's added beautiful things in whilst describing his low mood like he is expressing himself and escaping the low mood by expressing the beauty he sees/feels in his life.
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were -- I have not seen
As others saw -- I could not bring
My passions from a common spring --
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow -- I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone --
And all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone --
Then -- in my childhood -- in the dawn
Of a most stormy life -- was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still --
From the torrent, or the fountain --
From the red cliff of the mountain --
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold --
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by --
From the thunder, and the storm --
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view --
This next poem is called 'A Dream within a Dream'. In the first verse he writes 'All that we see or seem, is it but a dream within a dream?'. I feel like he is questioning reality, he's questioning if the reality he sees is real or not which could mean he was feeling psychotic or having hallucinations/delusions. The part where he describes the sand slipping through his fingers because he struggles to grasp it and goes on to say 'while i weep while i weep' I feel like he was experiencing a good mood but struggled to hold on to the feeling and soon fell back in to the low mood his disorder was causing. I think he felt rather distressed from reading this poem.
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow --
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand --
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep -- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
He has expressed his thoughts and feelings in these poems, I have found them insightful to read and I feel I have learnt about the thoughts and feelings he had whilst suffering from bipolar which would give anyone a more clear understanding of his situation. These poems as well as Van Goghs artwork show that you can express feelings and thoughts creatively and in an interesting way rather than just formally describing your symptoms. I am excited to show different thoughts and feelings of disorders in my future work.
http://poestories.com/poetry.php
Georgia O'keeffe
In the 1930's, Georgia O'keeffe was admitted to a hospital after experiencing a mental breakdown at age 46. She suffered with Anxiety and Depression.
This is some of her atrwork:
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/8-artists-who-suffered-mental-illness
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